A brilliant night for France quickly turned sour when Kylian Mbappé reaggravated the ankle injury that kept him out of training for the last week, Didier Deschamps confirmed.
With just over 10 minutes to go in Les Bleus’ clash with Azerbaijan, Mbappé went to ground in pain, clutching the same ankle that he injured in Real Madrid’s 3–1 victory over Villarreal before he joined France for the October international window.
The Frenchman, who was briefly tended to by the national team’s medical staff, motioned to Deschamps to be taken out of the game. Mbappé limped off the pitch in the 83rd minute and went straight down the tunnel.
Following the match, Deschamps said: “He received another blow to the same ankle. The pain decreases when he rests. In a match, contacts are inevitably going to happen. We will assess it afterward. He has discomfort that is not ideal for him.”
The setback comes after Deschamps said his captain arrived to camp with a “small problem” that kept him from training for most of the week. Yet the France boss assured the injury was “not a deal breaker” and in turn gave Mbappé the nod against Azerbaijan.
The Real Madrid superstar continued his goalscoring streak for both club and country, getting France on the scoresheet on the brink of halftime with a sensational goal that saw him dribble past six players to give his side the 1–0 lead.
Mbappé then set up Adrien Rabiot’s goal in the 69th minute. France went on to win 3–0, keeping their perfect record in 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
